Source: Peter Kramer/Bravo / Getty
As time moves further past the sordid days of slavery in America, a lot of debate has surrounded use of The N-Word — who can use it, how it’s used, how it’s even spelled and which race groups get a pass to use it have all been topics of mass discussion. That last one, in case you’re wondering, should
always be none…even for us, if we’re being honest with ourselves.
However, a new generation has their own rules when it comes to saying it, over time making The N-Word a “term of endearment” amongst those raised in close proximity to Black people. Ramona Singer, the 66-year-old Dutchess County native and multi-season star of Bravo’s
The Real Housewives Of New York, is far from anyone who would fit the criteria to use such a racial epithet.
One look at her Instagram alone shows only two Black people present in her ever-glamourous life on social media within the entire past year:
Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip co-star Cynthia Bailey and
Real Housewives producer Carlos King.
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With that said, it’s no surprise that many were appalled to hear a recent news report that alleges Singer not only used The N-Word behind the scenes of production on
RHONY, but also made a disparaging comment about how, in her words, “most” Black people don’t have fathers present in their lives.
RELATED: Tami Roman Scolds ‘Real World Homecoming’ Castmates For Using The N-Word
The shocking allegations came forth after
Vanity Fair published a lengthy exposé today (October 30) detailing a plethora of problems going on within the entire
Real Housewives franchise. Eboni K. Williams,
RHONY‘s first Black cast member in 13 seasons, was the main whistleblower behind Ramona’s alleged racism stemming from a virtual education session with producers before her inaugural season began filming. Williams says, topics like “Black Women,” “Microaggressions” and “Missteps,” were at the center of discussion.
Take a look below at the excerpt from
Vanity Fair‘s feature that puts it all in perspective:
“Williams, 40, interpreted the meeting as a ‘cover your ass’ move—she says it mostly focused on the kinds of things cast members should avoid saying, like the racist trope that Black fathers are not present for their children. ‘What if they don’t have a father? Why can’t I say that?’ Singer said during the meeting, according to Williams. ‘Most of them don’t.’ The RHONY publicist, who is also Black, told Singer that she has a father, but Singer said she’d read a study that confirmed that most Black children do not. McSweeney corroborates Williams’s account. ‘The training included ‘open dialogue,’ ’ Singer said to VF. ‘In that spirit, I asked a question about a statistic I had read about single-parent households, where children with single-parent households were statistically less likely to succeed than two-parent households.’”
In regards to her use of The N-Word, the article says it was reportedly said “in conversation with a Black crew member during season 13 production.” When asked directly if she actually said it, Singer sharply and directly told
VT, “Never.”
Regardless of what she said, we felt it was personally necessary to educate Ramona real quick. Data provided by
BlackDemograhics.com states that 42% of Black children live with two parents (compared to 70% of all children) while 51% live with one parent (compared to 25% of all children). In their words, “the reason why this is not well known may have to do with a commonly repeated statistic regarding out-of-wedlock births (70%) which only takes into account whether or not a woman was married at the time she gave birth. This of course doesn’t factor in that many births take place to engaged or couples who are not yet married or who plan to cohabitate indefinitely.”
CNN took it a step further in a report published earlier this year for Juneteenth, stating that “70% of Black fathers who live with their children were most likely to have bathed, dressed, changed or helped their child with the toilet every day, compared with their White (60%) or Hispanic (45%) counterparts.” This is according to a study taken from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s
2013 National Health Statistics Report.
Overall, let’s hope good ol’ Mo-Mo does better research in the future when (allegedly) commenting on another race group in any capacity. Also, it really makes this photo collage of the “East Coast Housewives” seem rather ironic.
Take a look below at what many on social media are saying about the reality of racism when it comes to Ramona Singer, and as always feel free to chime in with your own thoughts:
